


Breaking the Chain

by UnluckyCharms



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Gakupo/Luka at the beginning, Just knowing me, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tagging mature just in case spicy scenes develop in the future, mentions of past Kaito/Meiko, probably a little angst somewhere, slow burn Kaito/Gakupo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-09-30 23:56:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20455673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnluckyCharms/pseuds/UnluckyCharms
Summary: When it rained, it poured, or that's what twenty-two year old florist, Shion Kaito would say.  After accepting his preference for men and breaking things off with his long-time girlfriend, Kaito had been drifting from hook-up to hook-up, hoping to find someone who wanted a steady relationship just as badly as he did.  After a year of downright bad luck with love, Kaito was ready to give up on the premise entirely and devote himself to helping run the small, local flower shop he'd been working at since his early teens.  That was until he met Kaumi Gakupo one afternoon.  Gakupo seemed to be just as down-on-his-luck as he was when it came to love. With time, they teach each other the only thing keeping them trapped within their never ending cycles is none other than themselves.  Will they shy away from change and fall back into complacency with the lives they're living, or will they be able to break the chains holding them back from having what they want?





	1. All Plants Need Sunlight to Grow

Humans should not be forced to get up this early, there was no way four in the morning was an acceptable time to wake up in any circumstances. But here Kaito was, barely alive and rolling out of bed after being so rudely interrupted from his sleep by his alarm. What a shame, he was having such a good dream too. He could still clearly remember his antics in dreamland, almost lulling him to just flop back down on his bed and continue exactly where he left off, but forced himself to fight past those urges. Being an assistant manager was harsh, but he willingly signed up for this. It still didn’t make him feel any better about opening shifts. There were worse places to have to open however, little flower shops were child’s play compared to coffee shops or bakeries. Kaito could only imagine the horrors of dealing with a rush of customers first thing in the morning. It was an extremely rare occurrence to encounter customers until at least mid-morning, and for that, he was extremely thankful. 

The more he forced himself up and about, the more alert he became. It was around the time he was grabbing his shower kit, he noticed he had a text message. Mildly curious, Kaito paused his morning routine, crossing the room to grab his phone. The glare was harsh and almost blinding at first, eyes squinted to read the notification.

**[Yuuma 2:34] **Hey I had a great time last night. Keep me in mind if you ever need a booty call ;) maybe we can grab coffee sometime?

Is this really what Kaito’s life had become? Sleeping around with random acquaintances he’d met through various dating apps? He never wanted things to be this way. He wanted a serious relationship, the last time he had been in one had to be at least a year ago. He’d settled down with a really kind woman a couple years ago and got to experience all the joys of committed relationships, but started to notice certain changes whenever things got more intimate between them. His girlfriend at the time would try to excite him in certain ways, but he found it extremely difficult if not impossible to get it up. That was when he accepted where his true desires lay. And he didn’t feel right stringing her along, so after a few awkward conversations, they agreed to just be friends. And thankfully they still were, they were even better friends than when they were an item he liked to think. But sometimes he missed those days. Some days he wondered what might’ve been if he just played along like nothing was happening. Sure, he’d be forcing both him and her to stay in the relationship, but there would be those constants no one thinks about until they don’t have them anymore. There were no more good mornings or good nights, no one waiting for you to get home and vice versa, no opting to snuggle for warmth instead of turning on electric blankets, no hugs and comforting words on particularly hard days, no presence beside you when the first minutes of consciousness floods back into you. It was a truly lonely thing to have to experience. He’d never felt more alone than what he had been feeling for the past little while. The random flings briefly boosted his self-esteem and made him feel loved for a short amount of time, but the pressing feeling of loneliness seeped back into his everyday life in a matter of a day or two. Kaito just had to break this cycle. But he couldn’t exactly figure out how, and he wasn’t going to figure it out in the hour he had left to get ready for work. Doing his best to shove the amassing thoughts to the back of his mind, Kaito threw his phone onto the nightstand and resumed his morning routine. There would be plenty of time at work to question where he went wrong in his twenty-two years of being alive.

Freshly showered, barely coherent, and microwaved breakfast sandwich in hand, Kaito was rushing out the door. He quickly checked the time on his phone before dashing out of his apartment complex. He was surprisingly right on time. It was a little after five when he left, so he should be able to walk to work at his leisure, possibly grab a tea along his way, and get to the shop with a bit of time to spare. The sooner he punched in, the sooner he should be able to punch out given that no one called-in today. That had happened on more than one occasion, and he would have to stay with his employees until one of the owners or one of his coworkers showed up. The absolute worst was when the owners had gone out of town and left Kaito in charge. On the literal first day he was on his own, a good portion of the staff called-in. They had a very small staff consisting of around five people excluding himself and the owners so if more than one person didn’t show up, it really threw a wrench in their schedule. He ended up having to pull a double shift to make sure they were properly staffed that day then had to be back at six the next morning. His paycheck was pretty stellar that week, but he’d rather die than have to pull a sixteen hour shift again. He couldn’t really stay mad at their staff though, they were mostly just high-school students after all, looking to make a bit of cash in their spare time; they were just being kids. And a lot of them were quite endearing. Much to his surprise, he found himself enjoying their company during work and loved getting to know them the longer they worked together. He dared to consider them something akin to friends of his. It was nice, made the day pass by just a little bit faster. Made him look forward to showing up just a little bit more.

Okay, so maybe grabbing that tea wasn’t the greatest idea. There wasn’t any line since it was only five thirty or so in the morning, but it was clear the cashier and barista had just gotten in to start their days, voices heavy with sleep and not quite processing the scenes around them. A few more customers wander in after him and order various different caffeine infused drinks to start their day off as well and they all awkwardly hover around the pick-up counter as the two still chat with one another in their chill, laid-back voices. And then everyone around him started getting their orders and leaving. They’d lost his order. It took nearly fifteen minutes to get one iced tea. There was no way he was getting to work early now, Katito would just be lucky if he wasn’t late.

Winded, overexerted, and exhausted already, Kaito managed to make it to work on time. The shop looked frozen in time in the middle of the bustling city. While the adjourning shops and plaza were remodeled and renovated time and time again, the Crypton Flower Shop remained just as it looked decades ago when the owners first purchased it. The walls of the small corner shop a pristine white, being touched up whenever the paint started to chip or unsightly graffiti started to pile up on the walls. As of late however, ever since the owners came out and said they don’t mind the art as long as it wasn’t vulgar or obscene, artists had been coming out to tag the sides of the shop in different floral themed works. It was breathtaking quite frankly to see these artists unknowingly come together to create a mural of sorts. Checking for any additions to their walls was probably one of Kaito’s favorite parts of the day. A few benches were tucked under the awning and next to each, a large pot was placed, filled with various different vibrantly colored flowers. Hanging pots hung on one of each of the pillars by the store’s entrance, the ivy planted within them growing over and wrapping around the columns in the most beautiful way. They looked like they were dancing with the fairy lights wound around the pillars, and the sight at night was even more mystical. The store itself became a lot more magical when dusk started to fall upon the city. String lights were strung about on the inside and outside of the little shop giving the whole place an otherworldly vibe when twilight was just beginning to settle in; The warm lights and the cotton candy sky the setting sun produced giving the illusion you were instantly transported somewhere straight out of a fantasy novel. That was exactly why he liked working the later shifts. It was such a fantastical sight, one could easily lose themselves in the serenity that permeated the air and traveled through the heart of the city. Without further stalling, Kaito flipped the sign on the little door and began his opening duties.

It wasn’t until nine that the bell on the door chimed to announce a customer’s presence. Kaito hurried out of the backroom to greet and offer assistance to whoever had moseyed into the store. His polite smile and overly enthusiastic persona dropped they very second he stepped up to the counter and caught a glimpse of that unforgettable mop of blond hair.

“Mornin’ Hio. What do I owe the pleasure of getting to speak with you before noon?” Kaito greeted, slouching down over the register, every bone in his body instantly becoming more relaxed.

The tall blond, Yohio glanced up from the flowers he was feigning interest in and offered a partially sleepy smile as their eyes met. Kaito had known Yohio most his life, first meeting in primary school. It was by complete chance really that they even met when they did. Yohio was a few years older than him and had always been in different classes, but had a younger brother Kaito’s age. They’d met when Yohio was waiting to pick his brother up from school and from that day on, the rest was history. Their relationship was one of the few to stand the test of time and come out stronger for it. Sure, there were others he’d know for a long time, but their relationship began to fade into some form of obscurity with age. Not his and Hio’s. Yohio had made it overly clear he was here to stay and not going anywhere no matter how much he begged him to.

“You got some tea to spill, Kai. When we last left off you were meeting with the tinder dreamboat and you were going to quote-unquote ‘keep me posted’.” Yohio sauntered up to the counter with a sly smile, resting his elbows against it as he nursed his (most likely) fifth cup of coffee. “Now, spill.”

“Not much to spill. Met up at the karaoke bar, stayed there for like a half hour, came back to my place, shacked up, and he left,” Kaito deadpanned. “I mean he texted me later thanking me for the night, asked if I wanna grab coffee sometime.”

“Well, are you?” Hio’s voice was laced with intrigue as he leaned in further over the counter.

“I don’t know.” Kaito sighed, smile dropping from his features slightly as he reached for his phone and opened the message to show his friend. Maybe he would have some insight to help him. “I think I’m only a quick hook up for him. Think I’d be getting my hopes up if I’m counting on something more.”

“You could give him a few dates,”

Yohio set his cup of coffee down and hoisted himself up onto the counter. He swung his legs over it to sit facing the young florist. Kaito stared dumbfound, his gaze flickering from Yohio to the currently open gate that would normally close off the employee only area from the rest of the public. A shrug was all he was given in response. He rolled his eyes with an exhausted huff of a laugh and shoved his phone back into his pocket before resuming his position slumped over the register.

“Test the waters. If he’s interested in something more, he is, if not, you get a few guaranteed nights of fun before cutting things off.” Yohio shrugged again, playing with the dog tags around his neck. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in the conversation at hand, he just wasn’t the type of person to focus on just one thing for too long. Kaito had learned not to take this personally after all these years.

“There’s no way I can do many more of those ‘fun’ nights. I got literally an hour of sleep. I feel like death, Hio,” Kaito yawned to accentuate his point. “Work has become my mistress.”

“Speaking of work, did you hear back from that agency? Did they listen to your demo?” A new found excitement filled his eyes as Yohio watched Kaito for signs of an answer. Kaito’s shoulders slumped as he sighed initially before nodding with a bittersweet smile.

“Yeah,” 

“Well? What’d they say?”

“Their response, and I quote.” Kaito whipped his phone out and had the email open in a matter of seconds. “‘Dear Mr. Shion, thank you for showing interest in and wanting to join our agency. We have carefully reviewed your demo track and portfolio. We regret to inform you that we must decline your request to sign under us in favor of other artists that we feel will be a better match with our brand and blend better with our core company values. All of us here wish you the best of luck in your journey and future musical endeavors.’” 

The longer he read on, the more heated Kaito became. His voice raising in volume, taking on a tight tone as his free hand flailed about whenever he felt it necessary. When his little animated performance was over, he dropped his phone to the counter in defeat. His head fell against the register with a slight thud as a groan escaped his body. It hurt the first time he received the email, and it didn’t feel any better rereading it a second time. Kaito knew he promised to let Yohio know the results the second he found out the answer, but he was in no place to do so that night. Though he’d never admit it out loud, he cried that night. He was a wreck in all honesty that night. That was the night he contemplated throwing out all his musical equipment and giving up entirely. There had to be something wrong with him if agency after agency was rejecting him, right? Why try if it was hopeless from the beginning? And why be surrounded constantly by reminders of your failures?

“It’s like the rejection letter is a flippin’ template and each company fills in their name. It’s almost word for word to the others, man,” Kaito mumbled.

Without a moment longer wasted staring on in empathy, Yohio jumped from the counter onto the employee’s only side and pulled his friend into a tight hug. It took Kaito a few moments to process what was currently happening, but immediately melted once his brain caught up with everything. He wrapped his arms just as tightly around the tall, lanky form of his friend, burying his face in his neck for comfort. This was why he loved Yohio. He just could read him like a book and know exactly what to do with that information like it was second nature to him. Kaito knew he froze in times like this and didn’t really know how to help him through whatever he was battling at the time. He was eternally grateful he had someone like Yohio in his life.

“They’re stupid for not seeing all the potential bottled up in a single person.” Yohio whispered, a hand running through pale blue locks as he rocked them both for a moment or two.

They remained embraced for a couple minutes longer before they both began to feel slightly awkward and pulled apart from one another. Kaito rubbed the back of his neck with a small laugh before straightening his posture to better meet his friend’s gentle gaze. He really needed that. He felt so refreshed just from that one hug, he may be able to power his way through the rest of the day without forcing happiness into his body. It was nice to know he would be able to manage that much today. 

“Thanks, Hio,” Kaito smiled.

“You looked like you needed one,” Yohio replied, voice dripping with sympathy.

“Yeah, I guess I did,” He confirmed with a slight nod of his head, his usual smile tugging at his lips the longer he looked at the man before him. “Now, get out of the employee’s only area before I have to report you to the owners.”

The pair shared a laugh as Yohio jumped back over the counter, once more ignoring the, still open gate separating the two areas. Yohio grabbed his, now, lukewarm cup of coffee and grimaced for a minute. After, the blond twirled on his heels and began sauntering back towards the shop’s entrance.

“I should get going anyways. I gotta get some more coffee in me before I become an actual monster.” Yohio began, laughing heartily at his own expense. He paused at the door for a few moments, head subtly lulling from side to side before he turned back to look at his friend watching him leave from his spot at the register. “And we should get together again real soon. Watch some trashy shows, pig out on junk food, just become real useless members of society, y’know?” 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. We’ll figure it all out later. I’ll text you tonight.” Kaito rolled his eyes with a short laugh.

“See you,”

“See ya,”

And the bell chimed yet again as Yohio exited the shop. Kaito remained stationed in front of the register until the tall blond had wandered out of sight. That was an enjoyable visit. Don’t get him wrong, he always loved spending time with Yohio, but this visit was just… really therapeutic in a sense. His head felt the clearest it’d felt in a couple of days now, it was like he could finally breathe again after having to gasp in little puffs of air for an eternity. As easy as it was, he couldn’t forget he was on the clock. There was still plenty of flowers he still needed to tend to. For such a small store, this place was stocked full of plant life. He better start now before time gets away from him completely. 


	2. Petals of Hatred

“Kaito! Rin’s spraying me with the hose again! Tell her that’s unprofessional and to stop it or else she’ll get fired!”

There was an over-exaggerated sigh echoed from the backroom in response to the commotion. Kaito had been trying to take inventory and make orders for needed materials since the twins punched in at ten. At first, he was glad that they would both be coming in to help take care of things with him. It hadn’t been all that busy since he’d first opened up for the day, but there had been a steady stream of customers spaced out just enough to make getting any work done virtually impossible on his own. Kaito did this to himself, he knew that very well. Setting himself up for failure was about his only specialty. He typically performed his responsibilities in the exact opposite order it’d probably be best to complete them in. If he were to actually use his head even a little, he would take care of inventory and supply delivery first thing in the morning when no one was there to interrupt him, then move onto taking care of any specialty orders for specific bouquets, vases, or generally larger quantities of flowers, then lastly take care of the stocking and cleaning. It wasn’t rocket science, but Kaito physically couldn’t bring himself to go through his routine any other way. There was something just so peaceful about the outside at such early hours of the morning. There were barely any signs of life out there asides from him; no businessmen with their briefcases power walking down the sidewalk, no students dashing to catch the next train from the station just a little ways away, no friends strolling along, no laughter, no chatter, there was nothing. It wasn’t unnerving in the slightest, however. Kaito typically found deathly quiet, practically silent moments extremely uncomfortable and began to feel on edge in a matter of minutes, but not in the morning. Maybe it was still being half-asleep, or maybe it was the way the sunrise peeked in-between the buildings just right, but whatever it was, it made him feel safe. No matter how annoying this routine would get, Kaito would always find a way to justify taking care of the outside first thing in the morning. But it didn’t take long for both Rin and Len to remind him why they were rarely ever scheduled together. The days always seemed to get at least a hundred times more hectic when they were both in. On their own, they were model employees, perfect little angels Kaito dared to label them as such. But put those two angels in a room together and watch those halos morph into tiny devil horns. Those two little demon angels seemed to feed off the other’s chaotic energy and amplify it. It wasn’t done out of malice or hatred for anyone in particular, and for that reason Kaito really couldn’t fault them. He couldn’t have too high of standards for those two. They were the youngest they’ve ever hired, both coming in a freshly sixteen, and still learning the dos and don'ts of a workplace. The owners (and therefore Kaito) signed up for this when they brought on such young employees. Kind of adorable in a way? Yes. Annoying nonetheless? Definitely. When the terror twins were both in, being caught in the crossfire of various prank wars was an ever present threat. There were many a days Kaito would walk home from work drenched head to toe in water, covered in colorful ribbon and glitter, or peeling away iridescent bouquet sleeves and wrapping paper that managed to become glued to his person.

Taking a few moments to collect himself, Kaito rubbed at his temples as a breath escaped passed his lips before finding the will to venture out in the open. The very second his gaze landed out to the sales floor another exasperated sigh found its way creeping out from his body, not even giving Kaito the option of holding it in. Despite his annoyed sigh, the smallest hints of a smile tried its hardest to sneak onto his features. There was Len standing in the middle of the store, mortified expression marred on his face as he stared in the direction of the backroom like a deer in headlights. His pressed, white button-up shirt soaked in concentrated areas all over his body, his khaki pants in about the same shape. All the while Rin stood a little ways away from Len, her body turned away from them, whistling innocently as she continued to water the plants in her general vicinity. With every passing second he viewed the scene before him, laughter became harder and harder to push back down until a small chuckle finally did manage to bubble it’s way up his throat. Kaito caught himself, instantly coughing into his hand a few times to hopefully cover up just how hilarious he found the scene to be. He was a manager after all. Kaito already had issues looking authoritative when being forced to confront the employees, acting so carefree and giggly definitely wouldn’t help his case in the slightest. Clearing his throat a few more time just to make sure he’d keep his laughter at bay, Kaito straightened his posture some and turned to face the young girl still whistling to herself.

“Now, Rin, we’ve talked about playing on the job a few times now.” Kaito began, puffing out his chest just a tad as his hands rested against his hips.

“Whatever do you mean, Kaito?” Rin chirped childishly, twirling around to finally meet his gaze. She had the most innocent look plastered on her features.

“You know what I mean. What would a customer think if they saw you goofing off during work hours?” he retorted, voice calm as ever as he spoke. Anger or annoyance wouldn’t do any good in the conversation at hand.

“They’d probably think I know how to have a little fun around here.” Rin snorted with a roll of her eyes.

“Some yes, but not everyone will think like that. You just have to be thoughtful of those who don’t think like you do, okay?” Kaito’s voice had taken on a stricter tone. Not angry or even remotely upset, but more so firm and resolute. Making it very clear that was the end of their little debate.

“Sure. Whatever,”

And with that, Rin spun back around and silently continued with the watering. He knew she was upset as much as she was trying to cover that up. She was never one to just silently work, whenever she wasn’t chattering with her co-workers, she was humming, whistling, or singing to fill in the gaps of silence. Unless, of course, something was bothering her. Then she was almost eerily quiet. It wasn’t overly noticeable; no passerby would think anything of it, but after knowing her and her mannerisms for a good few months, Kaito had become overly in tune with her emotions. In fact, he was fairly good at reading pretty much any of his co-workers if he needed to. He wouldn’t say he necessarily prided himself in being able to read them like books, but it did come in handy every once in awhile. He was able to help them in their troubles if they wanted to vent to him, so he wasn’t going to complain about his ability.

A few minutes passed, the only sounds ringing through the store was the spray of the hose pelting against the leaves and petals of the plant’s in Rin’s direct line of fire, and the low hum of the radio playing soft melodies over the stereo system. As much as he was trying to remain strict, Kaito could feel his conscious weighing down on him. Each second he spent watching the young blonde, ten more pounds was added to the load on his shoulders. But he had to show who was boss at the end of the day and he wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. He could be a playmate for a little while, but he needed to be respected for things to run smoothly. He could’ve done it. He could’ve stood his ground and demanded respect. Until he watched a smug smirk work it’s way up on Len’s features. That just wouldn’t do. The last thing Kaito needed to deal with was an employee with a superiority complex. More so, he definitely didn’t need to be the cause of a huge argument that was bound to occur between the twins after work if he were to leave things off as they are now. He needed to find a way to level out the playing field and fast. A hand rose to his face, it’s knuckles pressing against his lips as his mind mulled over the best way to go about things.

Lightbulb!

“That said,” Kaito’s lips quirked up into a smirk of his own. “I don’t see any customers here at the moment, do you, Rin?”

And if the response he got from both the twins simultaneously wasn’t the most priceless thing he’d seen in awhile. Kaito wished he was quick enough to snap a picture of the faces they were making the very moment his words sunk in. Rin’s head had shot up from the floor in absolute delight, her wide set eyes twinkling with mischief, and the biggest of grins plastered on her features the longer her gaze shifted from person to person. Len, however, was giving him this incredulous look of betrayal, brows furrowing together in a mixture of anger and confusion, mouth stuck open for the longest time, and arms thrown up to question just what was going through Kaito’s head (if anything at all). It was genuinely surprising that Kaito was able to remain composed and collected. His immediate response was to burst out in hearty laughter, and he almost gave in to that urge, but luckily caught himself yet again.

“Nope! Unless you got all the creepy twin powers, and can see dead people and stuff.” Rin quickly agreed, her head emphatically nodding.

That was it. That one comment was all it took to send him over the edge; it had completely tipped the scales of his self-control. A hand was slapped over his mouth in hopes to muffle his laughter some, his other arm snaking around his torso as he doubled over and finally allowed himself to full-on laugh. His shoulders began to tremble with each chuckle that poured from his lips, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, and face beginning to hurt with just how wildly he was smiling behind his hand. Kaito was so caught up in releasing all this pent up laughter, he didn’t even notice how red and flustered Len had become, face contorting into a deep frown and turning his head away from the two laughing at him. Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you looked at it), Rin did pick up on this and hastily abandoned the garden hose to rush to, hopefully, comfort her twin. Though no one could be entirely certain it was a sincere gesture, since as she patted his back a few times, the bright look had never shifted or left her features in the slightest. Once he did notice how unintentionally hurtful he was being, Kaito immediately tried to reel himself in. Guilt was almost instantaneous to replace any of the childish giggles that were still threatening to brim over until it eventually stopped his laughter altogether. Ever since he was a young child, hurting others had always been one of his greatest fears to an almost debilitating level. If there was even a sliver of a possibility that he had made someone feel bad in any sense of the word, guilt and regret nearly crippled him. He’d gotten better in dealing with this fear over time, but no matter how old he got, the thoughts were always eating away at the back of his mind. And sometimes they just ate their way to the forefront. Kaito had to make things right before things got that bad again. He didn’t need to have a breakdown at work. He also didn’t need any of his coworkers holding a grudge against him for any reason. That’d actually kill him. So, Kaito slowly wiped any traces of tears from his eyes with a few good wheezes before sighing and offering an apologetic smile Len’s direction.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself. Rin just makes some of the most outlandish comments.” Kaito’s voice was a tad strained from all the laughter, but somehow still sincere.

Len’s head cocked back just enough to roll his eyes in response, trying his absolute hardest to still look annoyed and miffed, but failing quite miserably. Much to his annoyance, a smile was slowly creeping its way onto his features as the teen finally turned to full-on watch Kaito again, his eyes scanning the nearby area. At first Kaito was beyond relieved that it seemed that he was able to smooth things over without anything escalating. Len wasn’t giving him the cold shoulder anymore, Rin wasn’t down in the dumps, so things should be able to just get back to normal, Right? Oh how wrong he was. After a few more moments of examining that ever growing smile on Len’s face, a cold shiver ran down his spine. Red flags were popping up everywhere, putting him on high alert instantly. He knew all too well what that grin meant after months of working with him. That brat was plotting his revenge. Kaito had to get out of there, and quickly if he was to assure his safety.

“Well, I have to get back to work. I’ll be in the back if you need me—”

Splash!

He was much too late to take action. Before he could even get more than a few steps away, there was the unmistakable click of the hose changing settings then bam! The jet stream of water was soaking into the direct center of his spine and dribbling down his shirt. All things considered, Kaito knew he probably should’ve seen this coming, and knew he definitely deserved this for hurting both the twins once today already, but it was jarring nonetheless. His body jolted with a small, undignified yelp when the near freezing water seeped through his shirt and began nicking his skin. Then the door chimed.

“Oh~! Kaito, Len’s playing with the hose while a customer is present! You should tell him that’s unprofessional.” Rin sang out, ever proud of using Len’s words against him. 

“Go work, you two.” Kaito shooed the teens with a wave of his hands in hopes to corral them farther away from the door.

After the terror twins resumed work as normal, it took all of two seconds for Kaito to scurry behind the counter and offer a polite smile as his eyes finally shifted upwards to make eye contact with the man who’d just entered. The greeting that was already laying in wait at the tip of his tongue melted away, as did every form of speech for a good few moments. There at the entryway was the towering form of a man, easily six feet tall, awkwardly looking around at the various pots. He wasn’t lanky though. A little on the thin side, yes, but well-built overall. The way he’d dressed really did fit him just right and accentuated everything in a way that made him incredibly pleasing to look at. Realizing he was gawking a bit, Kaito felt his cheeks begin to heat up as he quickly pinched his wrist to refocus himself.

“Anything I can help you with, sir?”

“How do you say fuck you in flowers?”

“Pardon?” Kaito’s eyes widened in surprise, blinking up at the customer a few times.

A chorus of oohs and snickers promptly followed from both Rin and Len, stopping only when Kaito shot them a glare. Talk about acting unprofessional, these kids did have quite a bit to learn still. He would’ve been content in staring the two down just a little longer to drive home his point, but rapidly approaching footsteps quickly drew his attention. Now, Kaito had dealt with a wide array of customers in his career here, but he’d never had to stop himself from jumping back to create space between someone. But at his humble height of five foot seven and three quarter inches, a literal giant storming up to him was setting off every basic survival instinct in his body. Fight or flight was very real in this moment, and it was taking practically every fiber in his being not to run as far away as his legs would carry him. The man made it up to him in a few, long strides and practically slammed a fistful of cash down onto the counter. Admittedly, Kaito did flinch in response to this and turned his attention to the two thousand yen still crumpled in the man’s tightly clenched fist. He’d noted the man was tan the second he’d stepped into the shop, but he never really realized how tan until he was this close, their hands just a little ways away from one another for comparison. There were only two solutions in Kaito’s mind for this, this man must have been on the tanner side, or he was just unnaturally pale. Either way, Kaito silently vowed to actually get some color this summer. Finally picking up on the man’s gaze boring holes into his head, the head of pale blue hair snapped up to make eye contact with his customer yet again. His gaze was sharp, cold, and almost threatening in a way. The icy blue hues currently staring Kaito down were protected behind the clear shield of the man’s thin framed, rectangular glasses. Kaito should’ve been terrified, and he faintly was, but it was nowhere close to what he should be feeling. Despite looking so angry and threatening, there was just something alluring about this man. Instead of scaring Kaito off, and pushing him away, it was almost pulling him in closer. He’d never felt this conflicted while handling a customer before.

“How do you passive-aggressively say fuck you using flowers?” the man repeated, successfully pulling Kaito from his internal monologue.

“Um, well, are you looking for a bouquet or a vase?” Kaito stammered.

“Whatever this’ll get me,”

“Well, you could do one of our larger bouquets for that price, or you could go with a smaller option for less.” Kaito gestured to the chalkboard sign behind him with all their prices. The man didn’t follow along, he simply kept staring intently at him.

“Yeah. That’s fine,”

And that's where it seemed that their conversation was going to come to a screeching halt. This man was clearly in no mood for small talk, so Kaito wasn’t even going to try. He instead went to work on coming up with a bouquet that would match the customer’s demands. Without wasting a second, he was out from behind the counter and wandering about the store. Luckily, after years of working here, he slowly began remembering and looking up the symbolism of the flowers they carried so he’d be prepared for just these occasions. Usually people weren’t that deep when looking for a bouquet or arrangement of flowers, most would just ask for particular colors or shapes, but there always were those people who waltzed in and expected him to know the symbolism and lore behind each of the flowers they carried. When he first got a customer that picky, Kaito freaked out and nearly wanted to quit on the spot since he clearly wasn’t good enough for this job, but with time he learned to just play along and turn to Google if need be. Although, he hadn’t had to search for anything for about a year now, and he was quite proud of that. Thinking about it now, it was sort of fascinating that people would equate such gentle, frail things with such negative connotations such as hatred or loathing. There truly was a flower for everything, good or bad. His thoughts continued down that path as he idly returned to the counter with a bundle of different flowers.

“Ah, I grabbed some geraniums which can mean stupidity, foxglove meaning insincerity, yellow carnations which mean disappointment, and I grabbed some orange lilies which mean hatred. There are other flowers, but I just thought this arrangement would be quite striking and it would really— you didn’t ask about any of this, did you, I’ll just shut up now. Sorry,” Kaito began his briefing, yet quickly stopped when the man’s stare became annoyed. He didn’t know what it was about him, but there was something that made Kaito immediately flustered. He wasn’t one to slip up in front of customers, yet here he was making a complete fool of himself.

“I’ll just write up the little tag now so I can just get everything ready for you, who’s this going to?” Kaito whipped out a little card and felt tip marker before he even finished his sentence.

“Luka,”

“And who’s it from?”

“Gakupo,” 

The man, now known as Gakupo continued to study him all the while Kaito tried his hardest to focus on writing up the little card. It was incredibly difficult, and he had to start over once when his hand shook so terribly, his usually legible penmanship became a sloppy mess. He always got uncomfortable when he felt he was being judged in anyway, like he’d never reach whatever their standards were for him; and right now it felt like he was being scrutinized.

“Is this gonna take much longer? I’ve got a job to get to, y’know?” Gakupo barked, tendrils of flowing purple hair resting against his arm as he spared a glance towards his watch.

“Ah! I’m so sorry! I’m almost done! Is pink wrapping paper okay? or would you prefer a different color?” the lithe form of Kaito stiffened and bowed a few times in apology.

“That’s fine,”

Without further comment, Kaito was bolting for the backroom. Bouquet sleeve, wrapping paper, ribbon, _Bouquet sleeve, wrapping paper, ribbon,** bouquet sleeve, wrapping paper, ribbon.**_ The list was flying around in his head so quickly, he found himself whispering the checklist under his breath in a mild panic. This was the closest he’d come to crying at work in a long while. A crybaby by nature and people-pleaser to a fault, Kaito hated whenever anyone was mad at him for any reason. And it felt this Gakupo person hated him with a blazing passion without even giving him a chance to prove himself. Kaito had already messed up beyond repair somewhere in their albeit brief interactions. It hurt. his stomach felt heavy and that unmistakable lump began forming in the back of his throat. If he didn’t man up quickly, he was going to cry, and he was going to have to make up an excuse to tell both the twins and Gakupo why he was crying. But he was a terrible liar. Kaito was an expressive person, and typically wore his heart on his sleeve. If he was feeling a certain way, you were going to know it, and you were going to know if he was lying about it. Although it wouldn’t be labeled as such nowadays, Kaito always viewed that as one of his greatest weaknesses. Men were supposed to be the strong, silent type. They were supposed to hide their feelings away and bottle up their emotions or else society would view them as weak. Or that was what his father had told him all through his childhood. But this wasn’t a time to be thinking about such things. He had to get back and finish this bouquet! Bouquet sleeve, wrapping paper, ribbon. Kaito continued chanting this mantra in his head until he was walking back out to the counter where he hastily, yet efficiently wrapped everything together. Doing this as long as Kaito had been, preparing bouquets came almost as naturally as breathing now. All that was left was to tie everything together with the ribbon and attach the greeting card which were just as simple if not more so than actually wrapping the flowers up. Or would be if his trembling hands could tie a bow to save his life. It took an embarrassing amount of time and Gakupo’s gaze was getting more and more angry with every second he had to stand and wait as Kaito tried to tie the silky fabric over and over again.

Finally he’d tied everything up and presented it to Gakupo, who ripped it from his hands. Just as quickly as he rushed up to the counter, he was rushing to the door without a word spoken.

“Hey! What about your change?” Kaito hollered once his gaze fell to the crumpled up yen still on the counter.

“Keep it. I don’t have time to watch you try to make change,”

Then the door chimed. Kaito watched hopelessly, change in hand as Gakupo stormed down the street. This was one of his worst customer experiences ever. The lump in his throat returned with a vengeance, making swallowing an absolute chore. His bottom lip began trembling while tears began to well up. Chewing at the inside of his cheek was the only thing keeping him from bubbling over and sobbing on the spot. Until the twins made their presence known again. The pair awkwardly slunk over to the sulking form that was Kaito and timidly patted his back the second they picked up that he was on the verge of tears.

“What a douche,”

“Yeah, screw that guy! You deserve way more than that as a tip!”

Then the door chimed once more.

“What’d I miss?” the high-pitched, lilted voice of Miku questioned as she approached the group hovering around the counter.

“Ah, nothing. Just finished up with a customer. I gotta finish up what I was working on in the back. Let’s just get back to work, there’s still orders to be taken care of and whatnot.” Kaito quickly dismissed himself before speeding back to the manager’s office.

The rest of his shift passed by without incident. Miku had stopped back to make sure he was okay a few times, most likely whenever Rin and Len told her a bit more of what had happened that afternoon. In all honesty, Kaito didn’t even know why he was upset about everything even now. Sure, there were times that, immediately after handling particular people, he felt like crying, but the feeling usually faded in a matter of minutes. Some days, he just had this annoying ability to make every little thing a million times worse than they actually were. Today was definitely one of those days. It was shortly after four when he was finally wrapping up for the day. Like every other day, the twins and Miku were all practically shoving him out the door once he was beginning his goodbye spiel, telling him not to worry so much and to just go home and rest for once. And, for once, he planned to follow their advice; he was off tomorrow so he wouldn't have to worry himself with waking up early or any other of the usual stresses weighing him down. He thought briefly about going out partying tonight since he could actually have fun and not worry about bedtimes and the like, but quickly decided against it. Dealing with people drained him more than he’d like to admit, so his off-days had become “recharging periods” where he’d hide away from as much social interaction as possible. Many of his friends called it an excuse to justify his antisocial behavior, but that didn’t feel right. Kaito did feel refreshed after a full day to himself, and many times it gave him the strength he needed to continue working with people on a near daily basis. He never minded their opinions however, they were all entitled to one after all. He just didn’t really think much of them at the end of the day. All Kaito could think about the entire trek home was what show he’d binge watch all day tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahaha I didn't mean for this to take over a week. I feel bad doing Gakupo wrong like this, but hey, at least they actually meet in this chapter *shrugs*. I'm trying to write drafts all chronologically, but the urge to write fluff is too much for me. I need it. So don't be surprised if I end up posting stupid little fluffy one-shots. 
> 
> But yeah, my inspiration for this story was based on a flower shop AU prompt. I'm sure if you also saw that prompt somewhere, that was made overly apparent this chapter haha. 
> 
> Thanks all for reading! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out soon!


	3. Hey, have you ever poured coffee on your flowers?  Nothing good happens, but coffee fixes plenty of other things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha life got crazy, and my attention got pulled everywhere but this story. I ended up rewriting and reworking it like three different times, and I'm still not entirely happy with it. But oh well! Imma just roll with it. Also please ignore my chapter title. I couldn't come up with anything symbolic or meaningful in anyway. Anyways enjoy!

Refreshed, replenished, and only a tad hungover, the sound of Kaito’s alarm didn’t sound so awful this time around as he slowly rolled out of bed. There was just this extra pep in his step today as he got ready for the day ahead of him. Just as he promised himself, he did close to nothing productive whatsoever yesterday, and it was clearly paying off already. The most eventful the day had gotten, was the sudden arrival of Yohio. That man had the worst habit of inviting himself over without any prior communication, and if it were anyone else, Kaito would’ve been furious. But, it was Yohio, so he couldn’t will himself to be angry with him. Annoyed and angry were two very different things mind you, but after a full season of _America’s Next Top Model_, things fell back into normalcy. The two had gotten well drunk and began critiquing the models alongside the panel, physically pausing the show to add their input and to argue with the other judges, but things got really interesting when then had thought it would be a great idea to try to mimic the model’s photos. Unfortunately those photos and stories were never going to see the light of day; they were merely going to be added to the pile of dirty little secrets the two just silently agreed to take to the grave with them.

With the blond on his mind, he idly wandered into the living room. With how intoxicated they both were last night, there was no way that he was comfortable with him going home. He was half expecting that Yohio wouldn’t have taken him up on his offer to spend the night, but was rather relieved to find him rolled up in a mound of throw blankets on the floor. Kaito didn’t even waste the energy to wonder why he found the floor more comfortable than the couch. He merely accepted that this was his reality and moved on with life. Rolling his eyes with a couple shakes of his head, Kaito nudged the snoring figure on the floor with his foot and gave a laugh when Yohio sleepily headbutted his shin. Kaito simply let him know he was heading off for work and let the blond drift back off to sleep as he rushed out the door.

Usual cup of lavender tea in hand, Kaito was surprised to see the shop was already opened for business when he got there. The first thing that had gone through his head was that whoever was closing up shop last night must’ve not actually done their job. That would mean the store would have been left unlocked all night long, and if that didn’t just send Kaito into pure panic, he didn’t know what would. He’d have to check to assure no one was hiding out in the store, make sure there was no contraband planted anywhere, check to make sure nothing was stolen, possibly call the cops if necessary, and so many more annoying little steps. 

Now, to be completely honest, he wasn’t expecting to hear motion in the backroom when he entered the shop. He figured he'd just been working himself up for nothing too extreme. His heart instantly dropped into the pit of his stomach and his pulse began racing when very evident movement could be heard rummaging around the backroom. The hand concealed within his jacket pocket slowly curled around his phone as he braced himself to go confront whoever was back there. Adrenaline coursed through his veins the closer he got until he finally caught a glimpse of the intruder.

“Oh, Kase-San! I didn’t know you’d be here so early, you startled me,” Kaito chuckled in a rush of emotions. "I was about ready to start yelling at the closers for not doing their job."

The frail form of one of the owners, Kase Emiko looked up at Kaito with a kind smile, sharing in a lighthearted laugh. It was obvious he’d caught her off guard as well, as much as she tried to cover it up. When he had initially rushed into the backroom, she jumped some and twirled around to meet his borderline terrified (and definitely not intimidating) gaze. Her grip tightened on a newspaper clipping she’d been holding onto before breathing a sigh of relief, gripping her chest, and relaxing almost instantly. Kaito was vaguely interested in what she was looking at since she was always known for holding onto things with extreme sentimental value to her ever since Kaito had first met her, but he didn’t feel it was his place to impose upon her reminiscing. So, he simply let it go.

"Oh, good morning, Shion-Kun. Sorry to give you a scare, but you don't have to look like you've seen a ghost. I'm not dead yet, y'know." She joked with a hearty laughter once shock and realization struck Kaito.

"How can you say such things so easily?" Kaito gasped.

"When you grow old like me, you just accept the fact you're gonna die. May as well have a good sense of humor about it." She dismissed with a wave of her hand. When it was clear Kaito had no clue what to reply with, Emiko took the initiative to change the subject; it was just so easy for her to forget the subject of death typically made people feel uncomfortable. “You’ve done a fine job holding down the fort. You pretty much don’t need me here anymore,”

Relieved with the sudden change of subject, Kaito’s posture greatly relaxed. A humble, yet awkward smile slowly creeped up on his features upon receiving the compliment. Since he could first remember, his sense of self-worth hinged almost completely on others’ validation. Whenever anyone did praise him, he’d almost always begin to blush, butterflies would begin to flutter around in his stomach, and the oddest sensation of weightlessness struck him. And now was absolutely no different. It felt as if his cheeks were radiating heat as he dipped his head in appreciation.

“I wouldn’t say that, you’re giving me a little too much credit. It’s really the—”

“Don’t cut yourself short. You’ve become a very capable young man.” Emiko quickly cut Kaito off before he could so much as finish his sentence, quickly reaching up to bop him on the head a few times. “It’s hard to believe how quickly you’ve grown. I still remember the shy, little sixteen year old when he first stepped through that door. You were going through your blond phase, if memory serves.” she finished, her tone almost turning melancholic as she watched the figure shifting from foot to foot in front of her.

“Yeah… I choose to forget I went through that phase.” Kaito deadpanned, rubbing the back of his neck with an uncomfortable chuckle.

The look of the woman’s face remained bittersweet a few moments longer, her dark eyes scanning over his face as if taking in every ounce of his image. Kaito couldn’t quite get a read on exactly what was going on in her head, and the second he felt bold enough to ask if she was okay, she had snapped out of her trance with a small shake of her head. That crooked, fond smile of hers returning to her features, Emiko hobbled back over to where she had been before Kaito had walked in on her, and made quick work of putting a stack of newspaper clippings and old flyers back into the open drawer. Growing accustomed to this kind of behavior from her in her later years, Kaito simply decided to finally shrug off his coat and hang it up behind the door to the back of the store. When he turned back towards his boss, she had just thrown on her coat.

“Well, I’ll leave it up to you again,” She began with a small yawn.

“You don’t have to leave just because I’m here,”

“I just left my checkbook here yesterday, thought I’d pick it up real quick. That, and I wanted to see how you were holding up since we don’t see much of each other anymore.” Emiko slowly walked up to Kaito and patted his shoulder a few times.

“Thank you for worrying about me, Kase-San. I really appreciate it. Now, please, go rest up.” Kaito couldn’t help but melt. He really was so lucky to have such great people in his life. Where would he even be if he didn’t have people like Kase-San looking out for him? If he were being honest, he’d rather not think about such things.

“Oh, by the way, Shion-Kun. A man came in looking for you yesterday,” Emiko gave a laugh, eyes growing slightly more mischievous as she stalled in the doorway and turned to face Kaito once again.

“Huh? For me?” Kaito pondered.

“Yeah, he came in and asked for the short, blue-haired, airhead, and I thought that just had to be you.” she teased with a knowing smile.

“I’m not short! I’m a very average height, I’ll have you know!” There it was. That’s what Emiko was waiting for. Kaito just knew she was trying to get a rise from him, but he honestly couldn’t help himself. His height was always a very touchy subject.

“He’s quite the looker, Shion-Kun. If I weren’t married, I may have claimed I was you yesterday,” Emiko joked, waggling her eyebrows at Kaito a few times with more laughter yet. “I kid, I’m much too old for him. But you’re not! So I hope you don’t mind that I gave him your work schedule for the next few days.” She finished, flashing a cheeky grin, and promptly booking it to leave the shop.

At a complete loss for words, Kaito stood where he had been, mouth agape and desperately trying to formulate any sort of response for the longest time. Somewhere in his brain, he realized that Emiko had left the store already, but that information didn’t do much to help his case. His brain wasn’t really retaining any information. He imagined this is what crashing or malfunctioning computers or robots felt like… Y’know if they could feel things. A full-on reboot was going to be required to move on from his boss’ comments. Boy, was she ever the free spirit, confident enough to say whatever was on her mind, and sly enough to hide her truth behind jokes. It was nice to see that hadn’t changed with age. While one part of his mind worked to restart itself, the other part was going crazy trying to figure who could’ve possibly been looking for him at work. He wasn’t one to just throw out where he worked to strangers he’d just met. Anyone who would’ve been looking for him would’ve been a friend, and if they were close enough to know where he worked, they would’ve known he was off yesterday. Dead ends and blanks were all Kaito was running into.

The familiar chime of the door did wonders to almost instantaneous clear his mind. Finding himself able to move and think clearly once more, Kaito headed out to the front of the store. Once more, he was perplexed to find the slim, barely awake figure of his coworker, Hatsune Miku shuffling her way up to him with a tired grin. Miku typically wasn’t an early morning worker, only having done an early shift once in her year of being there, so he was justified in his (plainly visible) confusion. He really did have to get better at masking his emotions, it probably was and will always be one of his greatest weaknesses with people. It wasn’t like he wasn’t pleasantly surprised to see her wandering in for work already, he always got along exceptionally well with her, but hadn’t spent much time with her since he had taken the role of assistant manager.

“Hey, Meeks, what’s up? You’re here a little early,” Kaito greeted in his usual, casual fashion, a flick of his wrist acting as a wave.

Then he got to thinking just how mean that could have sounded if Miku had read it the wrong way. That was absolutely not his intention in the slightest, but how was she supposed to know that? Sure, his tone sounded friendly, but what if that wasn’t actually how she interpreted his greeting. What if she thought he was upset she was here early in the morning when he was usually here alone. What if he made her uncomfortable with his question? They were close, yes, but what if Kaito was unbeknownst to him, crossing a line that he couldn’t return from. Miku was only a senior in high school after all, surely there was a line between acceptable and verging into creepy, but Kaito couldn’t for the life of him figure out where that line was. While his mind wandered in circles, hands began playing with the fringe of his scarf, balling themselves in the soft fabric, anything really in attempts to quell his nerves. He had to fix this, he couldn’t have Miku angry at him.

“Not that that’s a bad thing! It’s not! I’m just curious is all, I swear!” he blurted out all at once, eyes wide.

“You don’t need to worry so much, Kai-Kai. Seriously, all that nervousness is sure to give you wrinkles,” Miku dismissed all his anxieties with a yawn while carefully rubbing the sleep away from the corners of her eyes, trying her hardest not to smudge her makeup. “I told Kase-San I was coming in early yesterday. My choir class has a fundraiser this evening. And it feels like we haven’t worked together in forever, I miss seein’ that dopey smile of yours,”

“Thanks, Meeks,”

Luckily, Miku knew all too well about Kaito’s little nervous ticks, and somehow just knew exactly what to say to calm his nerves. Kaito’s body relaxed with a deep breath, eyes growing softer again. A smile grew onto his features while the young, teal haired girl wandered behind the counter and poked him in the ribs in a fond fashion. Kaito gave a small chuckle in return, playfully swatting her hand away. It was very clear that Miku was still extremely tired despite her trying to sound and act alive. Her eyes were still masked by sleep, her body slouched in direct contrast to her usually impeccable posture, and hair slightly mussed up in two casual ponytails. It was quite adorable. But that wasn't a new thought that had just crossed Kaito's mind. He’d always had a soft spot for Miku ever since he’d first met her. It was just this sudden protective part of him that had sprung into action shortly after working with her. They had quickly bonded, Kaito viewing her like he would family in no time, and Miku had felt the exact same for the longest time. Recently, however, Kaito had noticed that Miku was trying her hand at flirting with him whenever she could try to be subtle. She’d gently brush against his hand, try to show more skin around him, make more flirtatious jokes, and so many other little signs Kaito had stopped keeping track of. She hadn’t confessed anything to him yet, but boy, if the day ever came, were things going to be awkward. He’d pretty much have to sit her down and tell her either that there was no way he could possibly see her as anything more than a sister or that he was interested in men. Presently, he had no clue which would be more embarrassing, but he was simply choosing not to worry about it until that day came. Until then, he’d simply try to ignore all Miku’s advances.

“Ugh, I should’ve picked up coffee this morning. How do you wake up this early everyday?” Miku groaned, rubbing her temples.

“You want my tea?” Kaito offered. “I mean, I took a sip, but it’s mostly untouched.”

“Really? You mean it?” Miku’s eyes were bright as she looked up at him with a giant smile.

“Yeah, it’s just in the office. It’s all yours if you want it.” Kaito vaguely gestured towards the back.

“You’re the best, Kai-Kai!” she cheered, leaning into him and nuzzling into his collarbone for a brief moment before scurrying off to grab the cup.

Kaito knew he probably didn’t help his case when he didn’t shy away from these encounters with her, and subsequently probably urged her to continue making these advances towards him. That, in her head the only problem she could potentially foresee was that she was still in high-school. That once Miku graduated this year, her advances were most likely going to become less and less subtle and become more direct. All this Kaito knew was going on. What could he really do in this situation, though? He didn’t want Miku to know he was gay for fear she may become disgusted with him, but Kaito couldn’t just blatantly reject her either. As uncomfortable as he felt, he didn’t want to embarrass Miku. That protective urge was still prevalent in his body, so much so, he physically couldn’t bring himself to hurt her in any form of the word. In his head, it’d be so much easier for everyone just to uncomfortably ignore everything until it blew up in his face.

Miku came bouncing back to the counter, sipping from the tea with an absolutely delighted expression plastered on her features. Falling back into the same, enabling habits, Kaito chuckled in return, patting her head a few times. It was then he actually caught himself and decided to try to move on from his actions. While he thought it nothing more than brotherly affection, Miku almost certainly saw it in a different light, and it always made him feel bad for unintentionally leading her on. All this could’ve been solved if he could just let two little words slip from his mouth. However, since he had had mixed reactions when he’d come out to people in the past, he’d learned it was easier for everyone if he kept his sexuality under wraps unless there was no other choice, but to talk about it. So, to try to move on from their interaction, Kaito wandered back to the supply closet, grabbed the broom and watering can, and headed outside. All the while Miku followed closely after him like a puppy would trail behind it’s owner. Quickly realizing, whether he liked it or not, that head of teal hair was going to be hovering right by his side pretty much all day today, he passed her the broom. If she was going to insist on being glued to his side, she was going to help him with the work. Once it was assured she had understood what she was supposed to do and began sweeping away any of the dead leaves and rubbish that got carried by the wind to the storefront, Kaito headed to the back to turn on the water. Only having to struggle for a few moments, the rusty knob finally gave way to Kaito. He quickly strode back inside for a few moments to fill the watering can and promptly returned outside. But it wasn't as peaceful as his mornings typically were. Today, with someone else around, the silence that was usually comfortably put him on edge.

“You said you’re class is running a fundraiser, huh?”

“Yeah, we’re raising money for our end of year trip. You should totally stop by tonight, it’d be so much fun if you showed up!” Miku gushed, shooting her head up to look up at Kaito hopefully.

“Ah… I— I wouldn’t want to embarrass you in anyway.” Kaito politely tried to decline. The hanging pot he’d been watering had become extremely interesting, his gaze honing in on it, and refusing to leave it.

“I wouldn’t think that at all! I’d be so happy to see you! I always tell my friends what a sweetheart you are!” She instantly countered, dropping the broom in favor of running up to Kaito and tightly gripping his forearm. Kaito’s gaze snapped from the pot to the pleading look of the girl beside him. “Please.”

“We’ll see,” Kaito gave in, brain working overtime to come up with an excuse to get him out of going. “But… It all kind of depends. I have a friend staying over at my place at the moment. Don’t know when he plans on leaving.”

“Sounds good! Hopefully you can make it!” Miku chirped, skipping back over and resuming her chores.

And with that final pass at him, things slowly fell back into normalcy. The two idly chatted and caught up with one another through a good portion of the morning, only having to stop once to assist a customer. Before Kaito had even really realized, ten was rolling by, and right on time, Rin was strolling in at her own leisurely pace. Then the morning got a bit more interesting, but only slightly since Len wasn’t there to amplify her chaos. One on their own was beyond manageable. And once again hours seemed to fly by despite being a slow business day. So, when noon had arrived, Kaito had offered to order lunch for the trio to enjoy since there hadn’t been any customers since around nine that morning. They should be completely fine to all take thirty minutes to enjoy lunch together and catch up since that was essentially what they were doing already besides the eating part. They had all quickly agreed on lunch bentos from the restaurant just a few blocks away, and Kaito quickly put in everyone's’ orders. Then the bell above the door jingled. Of course, the very second he’d sent in the order, customers would start flooding in left, right, and center. It was just his luck.

With a quick breath, Kaito shoved his phone back in his pocket and looked up to greet whoever had just walked in since Rin nor Miku was. And his blood ran cold the moment he made eye contact with piercing, icy blue hues. It was that man from the other day who hated him, Gakupo, if he remembered correctly. If he had such a bad experience here last time, why in the world was he here again? Unlike last time, he didn’t look as angry and emotional. Rather, it seemed he stood in the entryway somewhat awkwardly, arms crossed over his chest defensively and gaze cold, yet not hateful. To Kaito it was a completely different person from the man who come storming up to the counter. Gakupo had noticed Kaito staring and quickly looked away, opting to keep his gaze on the floor. Wiping his sweaty palms off on his jeans, Kaito mustered up every ounce of courage in his body, and forced a polite smile onto his features.

“Welcome back. I do apologize for my sub-par service the other day. I hope you were able to make it to work on time.” of course, falling back into his guilt stricken ways despite him vowing not to, Kaito was quick to bow in apology to the man who hadn’t moved from the door.

It seemed the call back to the other day made Gakupo even more uncomfortable. The man physically cringed, his posture stiffened considerably more, brows furrowed in visible confliction, and even the slightest hint of a blush dusted across his cheeks. Kaito hoped Gakupo wouldn’t think he was weird for remembering him or part of their conversation. But how could Kaito just simply forget about things that made him lose sleep, and borderline sent him into a panic every time a part of their interaction popped into his head. Maybe it wasn’t a normal thing. Maybe Kaito really was just weird.

“Yeah— Uh, look… Just. Just forget that day, okay?” Gakupo muttered, tightening his grip on his jacket sleeves.

“Huh? Sure, I’d like that. So, is there anything I can assist you with today, sir?” Kaito’s smile became just a tad less forced as he looked up to examine the figure seemingly glued in place. Just forgetting was easier said than done, but he didn’t feel arguing that point would've done any good whatsoever. So, it was decided for him, he’d simply agree to pretty much anything.

“A-About that,” Gakupo’s voice was still defensive and and short as it trailed off. At long last he shuffled up to the counter, eyes looking virtually anywhere, but Kaito. “I would like to formally… Apologize, I guess, for my behavior and mannerisms the other day… It was extremely unprofessional for me to carry myself like such. If you would allow me, I’d like to buy you coffee to smooth things over.” came through gritted teeth. It sounded completely painful for him to have to own up to his mistakes.

“Huh?”

“Don’t read too much into it! This is all my boss’s idea! He heard how— how rude I was and demanded I make things right. Told me I gotta keep up my public image is all!” Gakupo blustered, knuckles going white now from how tightly he was gripping his sleeves.

“Ah, Sure, I get off at—”

“He was just leaving, actually!” Rin interjected, using a good amount of her strength to shove Kaito out from behind the counter.

“Ah, but actually—” Kaito stammered panickedly, trying to dig his heels in and stop the young teen from pushing him around to no avail.

“We’ll be fine here! You go have fun! And by the time you get back, your food will be here. We’ll be sure to save it for you!”

And with that, barely able to get a word in edgewise (and having his apron pretty much ripped off his person), Kaito was being shoved out of the shop.

Awkward wouldn’t even begin to describe what Kaito was experiencing as he carefully shuffled a ways away from the rigid form of Gakupo. Not even playing with the fringe of his scarf was helping in this situation as he uneasily shot glances his companion's way from the corner of his eye. Gakupo's gaze was still fixated on the complete opposite side of the road, staring intently at the cracked pavement next to him, arms still locked over his chest. It was abundantly clear he didn’t want to be there, he wasn’t even trying to hide the fact. So much for truly making the other day up to him. Why had he even invited him out for coffee if he was just going to act so harshly towards him again? Kaito felt extremely stupid for thinking of this as a second chance to redeem himself in this total stranger’s eyes. He’d foolishly believed he may have been able to prove himself to Gakupo, to show he was so much more than just an airheaded idiot. There was no way he was going to get that chance. Just based on this excruciatingly painful walk alone, it was crystal clear that Gakupo wanted virtually nothing to do with him. This truth stung deep in Kaito’s very being. He didn’t really know how to handle not being liked by people. Rarely was he ever not able to smooth things over with almost anyone he came into contact with, and if there ever were such an occasion, he was well known for just running away from the situation entirely. It was taking every fiber in his body not to turn and flee right now. Kaito could tough it out for just a little bit longer, and if things were still uncomfortable, he could try to make up an excuse to leave. As much as he wanted to leave, a small (very small) part of him wanted to tough it through with him. It was just in his nature, if he came across a closed book, he was almost always stubborn enough to patiently pry it open little by little. There was just something so rewarding to him in getting such reserved people to open up around him. He wasn’t sure if he should even bother with this man, though. It didn’t seem like he was just a closed book, it seemed like someone went through and super-glued all the pages together. He absolutely hated giving up on people, but it kind of felt like he didn’t have many other options to choose from with this Gakupo.

An arm suddenly shot out in front of him, successfully stopping him from wandering any further. Kaito’s attention snapped up to the man looking past him at the small building they were in front of. Apparently they had arrived. A small, meek thank you mumbled out, Kaito scurried inside the building, waiting just inside the doors for Gakupo to begrudgingly follow. The cafe itself was warm and inviting. The lighting was low, but it wasn’t dark to the point you couldn’t see. Candles were lit on each of the small tables lining the wall across from the registers, casting small, subtle shadows that flickered across the brick wall, while an artificial fireplace and a couple floor lamps provided more ample lighting around the leather sofas and chairs by the entrance. Even though this was an obviously higher class establishment, it still had this cozy feel that greatly put Kaito at ease. Maybe it would have the same effect on Gakupo? And the best answer he could figure out was, maybe? He was giving off mixed signals. His expression was still cold and uncomfortable, but his body was slightly more relaxed than he had been the entire day. That was a start. It did get Kaito to thinking, though. Possibly he, himself wasn’t the form of contention, but rather the premise of why they were here. It was entirely possible that Gakupo wasn’t the type of person who found it easy to admit their faults. Even if it wasn’t entirely true, it gave Kaito an angle to try.

“Order whatever you want. I’ll cover,” Gakupo grumbled.

“You really don’t have to—”

“I’m apologizing, remember? That would defeat the purpose of me even being here with you.” he quickly countered, making his way to the register.

“Look, you really don’t have to apologize if it makes you uncomfortable,” Kaito began. Despite cringing when Gakupo froze mid-stride, he continued on. “We all have bad days, I can’t hold that against anybody. We can just. Start over, if that’s what’s easiest to you.”

Gakupo turned to finally look at him, the once cold glare morphing to a mixture of surprise and confusion above any other emotion. Picking up on the feeling that Gakupo really didn’t know how to respond at this point, Kaito dared himself to speak again with a quick, uneven breath.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m kaito.” Kaito extended his hand with a warm smile.

The shocked stare shifted from his face to his outstretched hand. He didn’t move for the longest time. At first, Kaito thought this wasn’t a good sign, he was almost certain that he’d read wrong. Now Gakupo thought he was weird and tried too hard, he just knew it. That incredulous look he was receiving was proof enough in his head. There was absolutely no way to fix whatever he had done to make Gakupo hate him now. Kaito should just leave now when he still has the chance. He was too caught up in his own head again. That is until the man’s hand reluctantly rose and cautiously grabbed hold of his.

“Gakupo.”

Kaito’s eyes lit up in absolute delight as they officially shook hands, and for once, the look he was receiving wasn’t cold and hateful. Rather it was mostly just indifferent overall. His face had greatly relaxed, however. His brows weren’t furrowed, the creases on Gakupo’s forehead long gone, and his lips weren’t downturned in a deep frown. It seemed he was a tad more comfortable (at least Kaito hoped) since he wouldn’t have to actually apologize for how he acted. Though Kaito thought of this behaviour as kind of childish and completely out of character for how mature Gakupo tried to act, he tried his best to understand where he was coming from. Not everyone was comfortable owning up to their mistakes. There were plenty of reasons people would hate admitting their faults, he really shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover.

After finally giving in and allowing Gakupo to pay for him, the two ordered and settled down at one of the tables close by. It was both a blessing and a curse that Kaito had relieved the tension weighing down on Gakupo. He was finally not actively trying to forget he existed, but he was actually making eye contact now and watching him. Something about it just really put Kaito on edge. It was like he almost felt pressure to come up with a conversation, anything to break the silence, but his mind just ran completely blank.  


“So, ah, you said something about keeping up public image today, what do you do for work?” as much as he didn’t want to immediately go back to their uncomfortable encounters, that was the first question that had popped into his head. That one comment had really captured his interest.

“I’m a radio host for 105.7. I also sing here a couple nights a week.” Gakupo replied simply enough, trying to cover up the hints of pride peeking through in his voice.

“What?! Really?! That’s so cool!” Kaito gushed, clasping his hands together as a large grin grew on his features.

“I guess,”

“Do you hear the jokes all the time? Like, you really have a face for radio, or—” Kaito quickly trailed off when Gakupo’s expression began to turn sour once again.

“I thought it was funny at least,” he mumbled between sips from his overly sugary latte. “Um, anyways, did that woman like the flowers you got her?”

“Yeah,” Gakupo nodded after a slight pause.

“What happened anyways? Sorry if that’s intrusive, I’m just curious. You were pretty angry,” Kaito rested his cheek against his palm as he looked on in genuine interest.

“Just general women troubles, you probably know all about that.” he shrugged.

“Nah, haven’t dated a woman since I had to make my parents believe I was straight.” Kaito laughed some before realizing just what he said and clamping a hand over his mouth in fear.

Did he seriously just flaunt that so casually with someone, and a stranger no less? Just how stupid could he get? Gakupo was just starting to possibly not hate him, now he just waltzed right up and probably ruined everything all over again. Curse his stupid mouth for not having a filter, curse his stupid brain for completely shutting down, and curse stupid him for becoming so comfortable so quickly. Then there was a soft chuckle. Kaito’s eyes widened as he watched Gakupo try to hide a small chuckle behind his own hand. His own fears were quickly being realized, Gakupo was laughing at him, no, mocking him for being gay. He should’ve just ran away when he had the chance. Then Gakupo spoke.

“Fair point. You’re lucky not to have to deal with all the drama,” Gakupo seemingly had to try to suppress a small smile that was twitching at his lips.

“Trust me, men can be bitches too,”

And with that, things returned to normalcy. A calm of sorts had washed over them, making their conversations more casual and natural as they continued to pick each other’s brains. They chatted for another half hour or so, sipping from their coffees at a leisurely pace and talking like they were old friends catching up after a couple years. Kaito was relieved that Gakupo didn’t act as cold and distant with him now. Don't get him wrong, he was still walking on eggshells, and the smallest comments could really turn Gakupo's mood for the worse, but it didn't feel like he was outright hated at the moment. Right at that moment, getting to know Gakupo didn't seem as impossible as it first seemed. 

Both had said a quick goodbye to one another, and awkwardly parted ways after realizing just how much time had passed. Kaito didn't think about much the entire way back to the shop. It was foreign for his brain to not be overthinking something, but it wasn't bad. If anything, it felt like a weight had kind of been lifted off his shoulders. Kaito could get used to this feeling of peace.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thanks for checking out my garbo fic Haha. I kinda have a vague idea of how I want this story to progress, which is more than I can say for my fifteen million drafts collecting dust on my computer. I'm already working on the next chapter for this, but I'm not sure when or how regularly I'll be updating this. It all depends on what characters I'm feeling in the mood to write, my work schedule, and my motivation, but I'll try to update as frequently as possible!


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